Reading a forest like an open book

CORNWALL — Sometimes it’s a short story, sometimes a mystery, sometimes an epic disaster, but nature is a prolific storyteller.

Those who were among the 177 who attended a presentation on Saturday, May 1, by author and educator Tom Wessels came away knowing much more about the forests in and around Cornwall. The talk on Zoom was jointly sponsored by the Cornwall Library and the Cornwall Conservation Trust.

Wessels’ talk was an introduction to a limited-attendance event planned for Saturday, June 5, during which Cornwall residents Deb and Bruce Bennett will explore land trust preserves with no more than 13 participants. They will learn how to unlock the history of the forests and find out how they grew to be that way. For registration information, go to www.cornwallconservationtrust.org.

Wessels began his May 1 talk with some basics of how he goes about the work of a terrestrial ecologist and morphologist, studying cycles of death and rebirth within a forested landscape.

“Look for changes in structure or composition,” Wessels said. “What kind of trees do you see?”

Change will occur aligned with topographics, he explained. If there are no eco-indicators of change due to climate or environment, then the history of the forest offers clues. 

The topography of the soil teaches much about the agricultural history of the ground on which today’s New England forests stand.

“If it’s lumpy, then it’s always been a forest,” Wessels said. If the floor is smoother, then it probably has an agricultural past, so look for stone walls. If the walls are made of large stones, the use was probably a hay field. If small stones, then probably a crop field.

“If I don’t see agriculture, then I could be looking at a history of logging,” he said.

Wessels was able to tell a lot from viewing a series of slides organized by Bruce Bennett. 

Discussion turned to effects of the current infestation of emerald ash borer insects, with Wessels noting that white ash decays quickly. He predicted that the ash borer will have an ecological impact, but in the long run, the ash trees will not be extinguished.

“Some ashes are resistant,” Wessels said. One or two thousand years from now, he said, “you will still be able to see white ash trees.”

Wessels had the same bright forecast for the hemlock and American chestnut trees which are growing increasingly resistant to the blight plaguing them in modern times.

But, he warned, “Climate change is a stressor. It will weaken trees and increase their susceptibility to pathogens.”

Rocks do indeed rise to the surface from underground, Wessels told his audience. It occurs due to the freezing and thawing of the ground which works the rocks upward from below at the speed of about one quarter of an inch each year. The phenomenon occurs most often in open ground where rocks are not impeded by tree roots.

Wessels serves as professor emeritus at Antioch University New England, where he founded their graduate program in Conservation Biology. Published works include “Reading the Forested Landscape: a Natural History of New England” and “Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape.”